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Stanford Falls To Santa Clara, 2-0

Stanford, Calif. - Santa Clara got second half goals from Mehdi Ballouchy and Jason Cunliffe to knock off the Cardinal on the first day of the Stanford Nike Invitational on Friday. With the loss, Stanford falls to 5-1-1 on the season, while the Broncos improved their undefeated mark to 7-0-0.

The match proved to be an extremely physical one, with the two teams combining for 43 fouls on the evening. The first half set the tone as the teams battled for control in the midfield, and could manage just three shots between them. Three yellow cards were issued in the half, and neither goalkeeper was forced to make a save.

Santa Clara took control of the contest in the second period, and struck first with a Medhi Ballouchy goal at the 51:12 mark. Ballouchy was on the receiving end of an errant pass from the Stanford back line and drilled home shot from 20 yards out to put the Broncos on the board. Santa Clara added to its lead just three minutes later, as Jason Cunliffe chipped a shot into the Cardinal box that bounced over the outstretched hands of Cardinal goalkeeper Robby Fulton.

The Cardinal were forced to play most of the second half with 10 players, as senior Jason Griffiths was given a red card for a tackle in the 52nd minute.

Santa Clara goalkeeper Kent Harkness did not have to make a save on the night, while Fulton collected two saves in net for the Cardinal. Ballouchy led all players with four shots in the match.

In the first game of the Stanford Nike Invitational, California and Brown played to a scoreless draw. California's Carl Acosta attempted six shots on the evening, while Brown's Ibrahim Diane notched three shot attempts. Chris Gomez collected seven saves in net for the Bears, while Eric Kronberg made two saves for California. The Golden Bears' record moved to 6-0-1, while Brown's record now stands at 3-2-1.

The Stanford Nike Invitational will continue on Sunday, with Stanford meeting Brown at Maloney Field at 1:00 pm. The tournament concludes on Sunday evening with California visiting Santa Clara at Buck Shaw Stadium at 7:00pm.